Lula re-elected as President of Brazil

October 30, 2006 Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been re-elected with more than 60% of the votes against Geraldo Alckmin in Brazilian general elections, 2006.

61-years old Lula received 58,295,042 votes while Alckmin received 37,543,178 votes, or 39.17%.

Lula was the candidate of Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) with support from 5 other parties, the Partido Comunista do Brasil (PCdoB), Partido Republicano Brasileiro (PRB), Partido Liberal (PL), Partido Socialista Brasileiro (PSB) and Partido Progressista (PP).

Alckmin was the candidate of Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) with support from three other parties.

In a victory speech, Lula said he would govern for all Brazilians and intensify efforts to alleviate poverty during his second four-year term. Silva promised a much better second term than the first. The President-elect has made income redistribution the priority of his first four years in office.

Lula campaigned on a platform of championing the cause of the country's poor, highlighting a 19 percent decrease in poverty, minimum wage increases and millions of new jobs.